Needlepoint
love sits
in that frozen phonograph of life
a broken record
playing the same bit of song
over and over and over
not knowing when to stop
not knowing when to start
it’s a hard feeling
on this record player
that always skips our song.
i waited and waited
for you to come out of your shell
and when you didn’t
i called the nutcracker
but that little wooden man
just didn’t show up
so i tried to do it myself.
i’ve always said i have no muscles
so you’re stuck.
i’ve jammed the catch to your little box
lined with foil
and you’re locked inside
locked away from me
indefinitely.
maybe in time
the locksmith will come ‘round
or maybe in time
you’ll run out of supplies
and force your own self out
but until that maybe-time
i’ll move on
and try to find another song
that the needle doesn’t skip and jump
that doesn’t have a scratch in it
like ours does.
only one man can fix it, you know,
and he’s stuck in a shell
lined with foil
with a jammed lock
too scared to break out
and i won’t wait anymore.
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